Faculty Research Spotlight
According to the American Heart Association, heart failure impacts nearly six million people and is the most common cause of hospitalization in older adults. Medications are crucial for those living with heart failure to alleviate symptoms, prolong life and reduce admission to the hospital.
Despite the importance of medications, nearly 50 percent of people with heart failure do not adhere to their medication regimens, which leads to increased healthcare costs and poor patient outcomes. Angela Andrews, PhD, assistant professor of primary care and health systems nursing, seeks to improve those statistics through her research.
“Numerous studies have tested the use of interventions to improve this significant problem. Results have shown only a modest improvement in adherence rates,” Andrews said.
Andrews conducted a mixed-methods feasibility study utilizing the SystemCHANGE™ self-management intervention in older adults with heart failure. SystemCHANGE™ focuses on changing a person’s environment and uses trial-and-error “experiments” to help them achieve a specific goal.
“SystemCHANGE™ has been effective in improving sleep and eating behaviors, and increasing exercise, but is newer to medication adherence,” Andrews said. “This intervention is individualized to each patient. They list their daily, weekly and monthly routines, and medication-taking is then placed within the routine. The patient does not have to remember to take their medications, because their medications are in the right place at the right time based on their daily routines.”
Lessons learned from this study will guide the protocol revisions in future studies on this population.
